


Where the Heart is

by bravo



Category: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis, Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 17:43:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20049988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bravo/pseuds/bravo
Summary: One of the first things Edmund did when he came back to England was to search for information on Narnia.Or: a former king and a fallen angel talk about the past, the present, and the future.





	Where the Heart is

It was a wet and dreary day, quite typical of London. Edmund walked into the closest shop still open, a fairly large shop on the corner of Greek Street in Soho. Above the marble columns were the words, A.Z. Fell and Co_., _painted in careful gold lettering_._ The shop looked cosy, with hundreds of books lining the shelves and tucked into every nook. There was no one else in the shop. He figured he would wander around a bit while waiting for the rain outside to abate. He approached the nearest shelf and pulled out a book. It was a first edition of _The Selfish Giant_. It was a fine book, but not quite what he was looking for. He put the book back in its spot and wandered further into the shop.

One of the first things Edmund did when he came back to England was to search for information on Narnia. He spent quite a while looking into alternate universes but to no avail. He pored through all of the science fiction and fantasy novels he could get his hands on, hoping to find even the slightest mention of Narnia. The closest he got were descriptions of fictional locations that seemed similar to Narnia, but differed in subtle and crucial ways. As he approached the rather vast section of the store dedicated to religion, he wondered if he had been looking in the right place. Maybe he would find his answers in religious texts instead. After all, he and his siblings were sons of Adam and daughters of Eve.

He pulled down a copy of _Buggre Alle This Bible_ and settled down for a long read. Even if he didn’t find what he was looking for in the book, at least he would have an entertaining read.

“Hello there,” drawled a low voice.

Edmund looked up from the bible. In front of him was a slick-looking man with spiky red hair. He was dressed sharply in a black suit with a red tie and a fedora on his head. Oddly enough, he also wore a pair of dark shades despite the dreary weather outside. However none of that was what caught Edmund’s attention. The man before him was not human. After fifteen years of ruling Narnia, he had a highly developed sense for when something or someone was not quite what they seemed to be.

“I’m Anthony Crowley. Call me Crowley,” said the man, smirking and holding out his hand. “And who might you be?”

Edmund got to his feet and firmly shook Crowley’s hand. “My name is Edmund Pevensie.”

“Find anything interesting in there?” asked Crowley, gesturing towards the Bible.

Edmund shook his head slowly. “Not yet. I was hoping to find answers to questions I’ve had for a while now.” He had been hoping to find out more on how he and his siblings had gotten to Narnia in the first place and maybe how to get back. He knew that Lucy greatly missed talking with Mr. Tumnus and mourned the lack of Talking Beasts in England, whereas Susan grated at the lack of respect she received as a woman and the loss of her freedom, especially compared to how she was treated as a queen. Peter coped by signing up for the army as soon as he could and throwing himself into the battlefield, where at least the war and military structure were familiar. All of them had spent half of their lives or more in Narnia and had lost their homes and their entire lives when they left. None of the siblings had expected that all four of them would disappear at the same time and so had left no contingencies in place for succession. They needed to get back to their lives and their people.

“I don’t think you will find your answers in there,” Crowley said, with a touch of long-held bitterness. “After all, God’s plans are _ineffable_.”

Edmund closed the book in his hands and asked, “Do you know where I might find information on travels to alternate universes?” Edmund figured that Crowley, if he did not already know himself, would at least know where to find more information on the subject.

“Pevensie, why would you think that I would know anything? Also, why are you looking to travel to an alternate universe?”

“I think you know something since you’re not human and you’re probably not from Earth.”

“Well, you’re right that I’m not originally from Earth.” Crowley took off his sunglasses, revealing bright yellow eyes with slit pupils. “I’m a demon. But that doesn’t explain why you want to travel to another world.”

Edmund had known that the man before him was not human, but he hadn’t expected a _demon_. He considered this for a moment before deciding that he would take any help he could get, no matter the source. “I’d like to go home.”

Crowley’s eyebrow rose. “Home? What exactly do you mean by that?”

So Edmund explained. He talked about how four kids found another world with fantastic beings in the back of a wardrobe and how he and his siblings worked with the Narnian army in defeating the White Witch. He talked about their subsequent coronation and how the four of them had specialised in differing areas of statecraft to revitalize a country that had suffered under a dictatorship for over 200 years. He talked about fifteen years spent creating a network of agents and informants, collating information, and analysing data in order to find and destroy threats to his country. He concluded with how he and his siblings had chased a White Stag on a hunt, only to find themselves back in England as children, where not a single second had passed on Earth.

“So, is it possible?” Edmund asked, heart beating faster in his chest. “Can my siblings and I finally return to Narnia?”

Crowley had stayed silent and impassive throughout his story, but his countenance softened on hearing his question. “I’m sorry,” he said, eyes glimmering with empathy and face filled with painful understanding. “No amount of miracles, demonic or angelic, could send you back there.” He paused for a moment before resuming. “I know what it’s like to lose your home. I never meant to fall, not really. I would have done anything to go back.” He took a deep breath and continued. “But now, there is no place I would rather be. You learn to move on with your life. You’ve only got this one life. You could spend the rest of it searching for a way back to Narnia or you could live your life doing what you want here. Like it or not, England is your home now.”

Edmund mulled over his words. It was true that he had not gotten anywhere with his past research. It was unlikely that he would find anything more with further research. Perhaps it was time to stop looking. “Thank you for your advice, Crowley. I’ll consider it.”

“Crowley! Are you there?” A man with curly white hair and outfitted in a cream coat and a tartan bowtie walked out from the back room of the shop. “I’ve got a couple of bottles of Bordeaux waiting for us, my dear.”

Crowley turned around towards the man, features softening slightly and a hint of a smile on his lips. “I’ll be there in a minute, angel.” He turned back towards Edmund. “Remember that there are many things worth doing here too.” He paused and pulled out a card. “If you have any interest in the Security Service after you finish your schooling, feel free to contact me. We could definitely use someone with your experience.” He then followed the white-haired man to the back of the shop, leaving Edmund to his thoughts.

Edmund turned the card over in his hand. _Anthony J. Crowley. Head of Counterintelligence__._ Perhaps Crowley was right. He may never be able to be King Edmund the Just again, but he could still use all of his experiences to make a new path here in England.


End file.
